Mail-sack tag holder



w R. MILLER June 2, 1925- MAIL SACK TAG HOLDER Filed March 14, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet gwuenl oz June 2, 1925'. 1,540,273

W. R. MILLER MAIL SACK TAG HOLDER P Filed March 14, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l t .75. Mzllier Patented June 2, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFF i WALTER R. MILLER, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO.

MAIL-SACK TAG HOLDER.

Application filed March 14, 1924. Serial No. 699,282.

To all whom it may concern:

Be 1t known that I, WALTER R. MILLER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at provision of tag attaching means which are applied to the tag insideof the container, inaccessible from the outside, while the tag itself and the address thereon are) visible from the outside. V

In the accompanying drawings, the subject matter of the present invention is illustrated, and

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a con-' tamer such as a mail bag provided w1th myv tag fastening means;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section along line 2-,2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an interior elevation of a portion of the front wall of the container showing the tag fastening means;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the container with the closure in position;

Fig. 5 is a central, vertical section of the closure, and y Fig. 6 is a section along line 66 of Fig. 5.

Referring first to'Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, reference numeral 10 represents a container in the form of a mailbag made of canvas or similar fabric. The front Wall 11 is stitched along its side edges to the rear wall 12 in the usual manner, thus providing a solid bottom and an opening at the top. A flap 13 is formed by an extension. of the rear wall 12 and the latter, as well as the top edge of the front wall and theflap, all

have metal grommets 1 1 which are so 10- M cated that they will register when the flap is folded forward to close the bag opening. A wire-or locking bar is intended to engage in the grommets toclose the bag. So far the construction of the bag is the usual one and is not claimed as, new,

piece of wire pocket.

The front wall 11 is provided with a nar- Ice.

row,transverse slit or opening 15 the length of whichbeing slightly greater than the width of atag 16 which is intended to protrude through the slit. To the edges of the slit 'is secured, as by stitching, a small pock et 17 on the inside of the front wall 11.

The slit 15 accordingly forms the entrance to the pocket 17 which preferably and-generally is inverted in the bag 10', that is to say, with its bottom 18 upwards. The

pocket completely covers the slit or opening 1 15 so that no entry to the bag or container can be gained through this slit or through the pocket.

Near its bottom the pocket is provided 7 with registering apertures 19 in its walls and preferably reinforced with metal rings or thelike. These apertures are adapted to receive a fiat headed bolt 20 having a threaded shank 21 with a flat thumb nut 22.

The head and the nut are of such a size that it is impossible to pass them through the.

apertures when the bolt is in position. In orderto make doubly sure, the shank has a hole drilled through its end intended fora cotter pin or wire 23.

When the container is ready to be sent the tag or label 16, properly addressed, is inserted with its pierced end through the slit 15 from the outside of the bag or container 10 into the pocket 17 until the eye of the tag registers with the apertures 19. Thelshank 21 of the bolt 20 is then inserted through these apertures and the eye ofthe label, the

nut threaded on its end, and the wire se cured in the whole therein. The depth of the pocket 17 has been so selected that the addressed portion can be easily read from the outside of the container 10011 the protrud- 'ing label, see particularly Fig. 1 of the drawings. In some cases and particularly for smaller bags that. do not receive very rough handling, the bolt 20 may be replaced by a for attaching the label inthe Referring particularly to FigsJi, 5Qan d 6, my closure 30 is. here showninlocked position on the container 10-.

It consists of two main parts, namely a staple 3'1 and a securing member or clasp 32. The staple 31 is made'of stout, metallic wire having twoshanks 33 and 31 running substantially parallel to each other and of a length suiii= cient to collect all of the metal grommets in the walls and the flap of the container lO. The lower shank 34 which is threaded through the grommets 14 is slightly shorter than the upper shank 33 and has a straight end. Adjacent this end a flattened and narrow neck 35 is formed adapted'to engage in the narrow portion of a key-hole 36 at the lower end of the body portion of the clasp 32. The upper shank 33 terminates with a head or abutment 37' furnished to prevent the sliding oil ofthe clasp from the upper shank 33.

The clasp 32 has a guide arm 38 projecting substantially at right angles from the body portion and lying along the shank 33 engaging therewith by means of an ear 39 formed at the end of the arm, the outer end of this shank engaging in a suitable aperture 40 in the body portion of the clasp.

The arm 38 of the clasp is flat and has its side edges doubled up upon themselves to furnish ledges 41 adapted to hold a label 42 upon which the routing or destination of the container is given. The body end of the arm 38 is shown open to receive the label but the other end has an upturned portion 43 forming a stop for the label 38.

The body portion of the clasp 32' is re cessed on its inner side, as at 44, to form a seat for a latch 45 pivoted,,as at 46, to permit the swinging inwardly of the latch as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. '5. The

latch is grooved at its upper end, as at47,

in order to partly embrace the upper staple shank 33' when the parts are in locked position. The free end of the latch 45 is blunt and adapted to abut against the top face of the lower shank 34 to retain and firmly hold the same in the narrow portion of the keyhole 36. y i

The latch 45 is provided with a'loop registering with a slot 49 in the body portion of theclasp- 32 and adapted to receive a padlock 50. Instead of the padlock, or in 'con junction therewith,- a sealed ,wire may b91111," sertedin the. loop to prevent the inward swinging ofthe latch and consequent detachment 'of the closure 30 from the container.

After the container, such as. a mail body 10 or the like, has been filled with letters, parcels or valuables of any description, and the tag 16 secured in placein the pocket 17 by the bolt 20,. as previously described, the closure 30 is put in place andlooked on the container. This is best done with the body portion of the clasp 32 swungupwards or away from: the lower shank 34 by turning it upon the upper shank 33. The end of the latter may then be threaded through the grommets 14 in the container in the usual manner. lVith the end of the shank 33 projectingbeyond the last grommet, the ends of the shanks are pressed together, as indica-ted by dottedlines in hot the drawings, until the straight end of the lower shank is opposite the wide portion of the key hole 36 in the body portion of the clasp 32, which has previously been turned down into position butwith the latch 45 swung out of the way. The clasp 32 is thereupon pushed back upon the shanks until the lower shank 34 springs out and the narrow neck thereon enters thenarrow' portion of the key hole 36. The latch 45 is then swung down to abut with its blunt end against the shank 34 to firmly hold it as indicated by the full lines in Fig. 5. The loop 48 now prejects through the slot 49 in the body portion of the clasp ready to receive the padlock 50, the sealed wire, or both. I I

When in the claims the term container is used, this is intended to include mail bags,

with or disturbing the contents of the bag, nor can the tag 16 be detached from the pocket 17; Still the tag is available for inspection all the time.

or sealed, there is no possibility of pilfering' Having thus describedthe invention, what u is claimed as new is: I p

1. In a container of the class descrlbed hav ng a wall provlded with a slit, a pocket attached to said wall on the inside thereof 7 over said slit, said pocket being adapted to receive a tag, and means for securing the tag at the bottom of thepocket inlsuch. amanner that the greater portion ofthe tag is exposed exteriorly to the container.

2. In a container of the class described having a wall provided with a slit, a pocket attached to said wall on the inside thereof over said slit, said pocket being adapted to receive a tag, and means for securing the tag at the bottom of the pocket in such a man-ner that the greaterportion of the tag is exposed exteriorly to the container, said means including a flat-headed stud adapted to engage in suitable apertures provided in therpocket and also to engage in the eye of the ta to firmly retain it in said pocket.

3. ii a container of the class described having a wall provided with-a slit, a pocket attached to said wall on the inside thereof over said slit, said pocket being adapted to receive a tag, means for securing the tag at the bottom of the pocket in such a manner thatthe greater portion of the is exposed exteriorly to the container, said means including a flat-headed stud adapted to en and a nut engaging said shank to secure the v,

flat-headed stud in position.

4. In a container of the class described having a Wall provided with a slit, a pocket attached to said Wall on the inside thereof over said slit, said pocket being adapted to receive a tag, means for securing the tag at the bottom of the pocket in such a manner that the greater portion of the tag is exposed exteriorly to the container, said means ineluding a flat-headed stud adapted to engage in suitable apertures provided in the pocket and also to engage in the eye of the tag to 1 firmly retain it in said pocket, said flatheaded stud having a threaded shank, and a nut engaging said shank to secure the fiatheaded stud in position, said pocket being of greater Width than said slit.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WVALTER R. MILLER. [11. s] 

